


Special Snowflake

by nanuk_dain



Series: Drift Compatible [44]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, PBC (Post-Breach-Collapse), Post-Movie, Shatterdome Family, Shatterdome Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 17:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13299825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: Plans are made to get the PPDC some much needed money. Sasha Kaidanovsky isn't too fond of those plans. And then there's Raleigh Becket asking for her help, which is just weird.





	Special Snowflake

**Author's Note:**

> It seems I'm mass-producing right now, so here's the next fic. I hope you don't mind me spamming you ^_^
> 
> Some of you might know that Russian names and their many forms are quite complex, and I think it's important to include that in order to write from Sasha's POV in a convincing way. According to my research, "Lyoshenka" is the endearing form of Aleksis' name that Sasha - as his wife - would most likely use to address him and when she thinks of him. If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me ^_^

_Hong Kong Shatterdome, January 23rd 2025_

 

Sasha looks around the room and figures that it must be one of the best rooms in the med bay. Not only is it far more spacious than the others, it also has a large panorama window with a view over the bay along one side, in addition to the skylight that's the norm for all rooms. It's a nice room, in the sparse way of the design typical for Shatterdomes, and Sasha would be jealous if it weren't for the fact that she was allowed to leave the med bay already to return to her and Lyoshenka's quarters.

Stacker is sitting up in the bed, resting with his back against the headboard. Herc is perched comfortably on the edge of the bed in a way that tells Sasha that it's not his first time sitting there. All around them the room is slowly filling up with people. Sasha can make out all of her fellow Rangers, most prominent among them Cheung Wei Tang. His bed is just being manoeuvred through the door, followed by Hu in his sporty wheelchair and Jin on his by now brightly decorated crutches. Sasha shakes her head and hides a smirk. She can see stickers on Hu's wheelchair as well, mismatched and taped to random spots, which lets her know that he must have lost a few games as well - but not as many as Jin, judging by the chaotic look of his crutches. Even Cheung's bed sports the odd sticker. But then, Cheung has always been the best card player among the three brothers - still, the nurses are going to be so pissed.

Almost all the chairs that have been brought into the room are occupied by now. Stacker's young one is sitting next to Becket and Baby Hansen. Those two are still glued together by the hip, in this case literally. Sasha finds it amusing how the urge to touch manifests so openly in them, but then she remembers the time right after her first drift with Lyoshenka, how intense the need was - and they'd already been married for years at that point. Second honeymoon, she thinks with a mischievous grin and makes sure to send Lyoshenka an especially naughty memory from that time. She loves how she can feel him squirm in his seat next to her, yet he doesn't complain. Instead he sends back a corresponding image that gives her ideas for how to spend the evening. She would reply with an even more _inspiring_ image if it wasn't for the present company. She loves that game of one-upmanship, but knowing from experience where it can lead makes her stop before it gets out of hand. This is a professional meeting, after all, and it seems rather important. Lyoshenka chuckles next to her, knowing he's won that round. That Sasha elbows him into his side only makes him chuckle again. 

Sasha turns to the door when she sees Tendo enter together with Caitlin Lightcap, closely followed by Newt and Hermann who are engaged in another one of their typical arguments. When Hermann's hand twitches in irritation on his cane, Caitlin makes sure to take the seat between the two scientists. Instead of stopping, they just lean back in their chairs and continue bickering behind her, which only makes her roll her eyes. Tendo is plain out smirking, obviously highly amused by the situation. Like Sasha, he has known Newt and Hermann too long to try to interfere with their arguments. Lyoshenka always calls the bickering their personal kind of foreplay, and Sasha has to agree with that assessment. Where other couples would kiss to show their affection, Newt and Hermann argue. It has always been like that, even long before they became a couple.

Sasha likes how the three scientists seem to have formed a comfortable work relationship in the past week or two. She thinks it does them all good, and not just because pooling their combined knowledge makes them even more effective at solving problems. It also seems that Caitlin evens out the more nasty bickering between Newt and Hermann, and in return those two make her come out of her shell bit by bit. Sasha has known all three of them since the early days and although they'd been out of contact for a while due to the distance of their respective stationing, the connection is still there. 

It feels a bit like the old days to have the band back together in one place, and now that the Breach is closed, the pressure has eased a bit and allows them all to bond again. Sasha can't remember the last time she had so much time to play card games - and win them, too, she thinks with a smug grin, looking at the prominent blue snowflake decorating Lyoshenka's cast on the part that covers the back of his hand. He catches her thought over the ghost drift and looks at her with a little smile that most people wouldn't even notice because it's mostly in his eyes that it shows. It's his 'snowflake smile', as he explained once, reserved only for her because she's his special little snowflake. That was years ago, shortly after they got married, and Sasha still cherishes the memory of that early morning conversation. He's called her 'snowflake' ever since, and Sasha never protested - well, when it was _him_ saying it, at least. There'd been that fellow prison guard once who'd heard Lyoshenka use the pet name and then thought he had the same right. Sasha had busted his nose and broken his arm in two places - in the courtyard in front of the prisoners and the other guards. It had certainly helped to cement her reputation as somebody you didn't mess with. _And_ it had been fun.

Sasha shakes herself out of her memories and scans the room, then she concludes that all participants of the meeting must have arrived. All chairs are taken, she can't see anybody missing who should be here. It reminds her a lot of the last meeting, the one in Raleigh's med bay room about a week ago. Maybe meeting in the med bay will become a new PPDC tradition. Her gaze finally stops when it comes across Amanda James who is the one who called the rather spontaneous meeting. Right now she's standing next to Stacker and Herc, exchanging some last minute information. The woman is tough as nails when it comes to the PPDC's reputation and well-being, and Sasha respects her for it. Not all wars are fought with guns, after all, and not all weapons are physical.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Stacker's voice cuts through the hustle and bustle as effortlessly as always and the room quiets down immediately. Sasha smirks. Stacker may be lying in a hospital bed, but that doesn't impact on his authority at all. "Let's begin now that we're all here. Ms James has a few important things to discuss with us." 

He gestures towards Ms James to give her the floor and she nods before turning to face the assembled group of people. She looks impeccable as ever in her grey costume. "I trust that you have all seen the two articles that Ms Sokolov published so far. And I'm sure you've noticed the effect they've had." 

Ah, Sasha thinks to herself, so all of this is basically Naomi Sokolov's fault. The journalist's second article in her four-part series came out this morning and it already went viral, just like the first one did yesterday - all over the world, mind you, not just in the Pan Pacific countries. It caused a massive interest in the PPDC, the closure of the Breach and the people who played the key role in that development. The first article focussed on the events that lead up to the final attack on the Breach, the second one on Operation Pitfall itself and its consequences. Sasha read them both as soon as they came out, curious about what the journalist had made of the things she learned in her time in the Shatterdome. She's done a remarkable job so far, and the reaction of the world confirms that. Her writing is captivating as well as informative, she doesn't take sides but still manages to give the PPDC the full credit for the closure of the Breach, making it clear that the UN had no part in that final assault. Sasha is already looking forward to the next two parts which are announced for tomorrow and the day after. She thinks they might focus more on the people involved, because until now the articles are more concerned with facts and events, and dear Ms Sokolov doesn't seem to be the kind of person to miss the human factor.

"The two articles published so far have created something close to a hype concerning the PPDC. Ms Sokolov has a huge following now and her future articles will most likely increase that interest in us. I have read all four of her articles for reviewing - which proved to be unnecessary, by the way - and I'm sure the effect will be very positive for the PPDC." Ms James pauses for a moment to allow her words to sink in. "What's essential now is that we ride on that wave of popularity. I'm sure it's no secret to anybody in this room that the PPDC's financial situation is precarious. We're vulnerable right now because we're operating on almost non-existent funds that we need to replenish very soon if we want to keep our independence from big organisations like the UN."

There are slow nods here and there. She's not telling them anything new, but she's putting it more bluntly than most other people have so far. The urgency of the situation is palpable, and Sasha is quite certain that Ms James is doing that on purpose to soften them up for whatever is coming next. She most likely wants them to do something she knows they won't be fond of. 

"Some of you might have heard about the following proposal before since it's been bouncing around for a while now." Ms James continues, sure that she has the full attention of the audience. "The idea is to go on an official PPDC tour through the countries that were affected by the Kaiju War, countries that _we_ defended for over a decade. We still have to come up with a catchy name for it, something that creates a feeling of unity and is easy to remember. We'll use the tour to promote our future task in and for the world, to show what we did in the last war against the Kaiju and to gather support to strengthen us against the UN. Of course we'll also use it to fundraise and establish connections to important allies, former and future ones, and to recruit new personnel."

Sasha catches the look Lyoshenka throws her that says _"Fuck no"_ as clearly as if he'd said it aloud. He's never been one for interacting with the press. He's fine posing for the obligatory pictures, looking all badass and menacing while laughing on the inside, but he hates talking to them. Although Ms James hasn't said it yet, Sasha knows just as well as him who she'll expect to go on that tour and be paraded around like trophies. _Money-making_ trophies.

"The participants of such a tour are you: All the pilots involved and some key personnel from LOCCENT and the K-science division." Ms James makes it sound like it's an honour to go on that tour and Sasha has to fight not to roll her eyes. Here we go, she thinks, the unpleasant part. "That means that we need your help. It's a promotional tour, basically, so we need you to be on your best and most charming behaviour. If you don't want to participate or only do so reluctantly, that will show and strongly diminish the success of the tour. I know that many of you aren't too fond of the press, but I ask you to think about this carefully. It's very important for the future of the PPDC, it might even decide if we actually _have_ a future."

Nice way to up the pressure, Sasha thinks and finally gives into the urge to roll her eyes. Lyoshenka playfully elbows her into the side and then leaves his left arm pressed against her. She can feel the shape of the cast against her ribcage, along with the warmth of his hand where it snuck under her coat. It's not just Becket and Baby Hansen who like physical contact with their perfect match, after all.

"That tour sounds like a rather extensive affair." Baby Hansen remarks from where he's basically draped over Becket, although they're still sitting each on their own chair. "How long are we talking?"

Good question. _Really_ good question, actually.

"About six weeks." Ms James replies and is promptly interrupted by Baby Hansen's whistle. It's definitely not an appreciative sound. 

"We came up with a schedule that'll include visits to all the cities hit by a Kaiju attack in the tightest possible timeframe." Ms James continues once the silence is restored, then she smiles in a pointedly understanding way. "We're well aware that most of you want to spend as little time as possible on this, so we tried to take that into consideration in the planning process. Still, we can't leave out any place that suffered an attack without offending not only a lot of people but possibly even an entire country."

That sounds reasonable, but it doesn't make Sasha like the idea any more. She doesn't hate the press as much as Lyoshenka, but the prospect of spending six week in the almost constant focus of the media is not exactly appealing.

"When do you want to start?" Tendo asks with no more enthusiasm on his face than any other person in the room. Even Stacker and Herc look anything but pleased, and they're bound to have known about this before. Ms James needed their okay before addressing the issue with the rest of them, Sasha is well aware of that.

"We need to do it as soon as possible, or we'll lose the advantage of the current interest in us." Ms James points out earnestly. "Of course there's an immense amount of planning involved in such a huge undertaking, and that will take a certain amount of time. Still, the goal is to get this tour announced within the next few days and get it on the road by February. We need to make use of the current hype before it ebbs away and takes with it our best chance to make money, gather support in the world and recruit the best personnel for our future ventures." 

She does have a point there, and Sasha can tell that everybody in the room sees it. Nobody is willing to let the PPDC down now that it's at its weakest, not after all the things they managed to do so far. Not in the face of another Breach opening at some point, not with no defences left standing. The PPDC's duty to the people of the world isn't over yet.

"You don't have to decide right now, but please let us know til tomorrow." Ms James says into the sudden silence in the room. "We really need to get the planning started, and for that we need to know not only how many people we're planning for, but also who will represent the PPDC when and where."

"Thank you, Ms James." Stacker gives her a short nod and that she returns before she steps back to lean against the wall. 

"Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I want you to think this over and give your decision by noon tomorrow." Stacker looks every single person in the eye before he continues. "That's all so far. Thank you for your attention. Dismissed."

A low murmuring rises in the room when people get up from their seats and begin filing outside. Sasha catches sight of the triplets right before a nurse prepares to roll Cheung's bed back to his own room. Hu is skillfully manoeuvring his wheelchair around the bed while Jin hops next to him on his crutches.

Oh oh, they're grinning. All three of them. That's not a good sign, at least not for those around them. Sasha has known the Weis long enough to be _very familiar_ with the signs. They're part of the very few people who're not intimidated by Sasha, and that makes them even more of a pain in the arse. They've never hesitated to include Sasha in their pranks, no matter how evil her response was. They don't fear Lyoshenka either, which is a real pity. For once Sasha would have been entirely fine to just hide behind him if that meant to get rid of these three pests, their nasty ideas and their horrible taste in music. When she turns to look at Lyoshenka, he's actually smirking. She doesn't really understand why, but he's always enjoyed the prank wars with the triplets. 

Sasha sighs when she gets up from her very uncomfortable plastic chair. She already knows that that promotion tour is going to be pure torture - and not just because of the press, but also because of the prank war she can see looming on the horizon. Lyoshenka chuckles beside her, he clearly picked up on her thoughts. Of course he knows that he and Sasha will be joining the tour, there's no doubt about that. They don't need any time to think things through and come to a decision.

"Ah... Hey, Sasha." Sasha turns when she hears her name and finds Becket standing a respectful step behind her. He seems nervous. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Sasha immediately checks the room to see where Baby Hansen is, because he's bound to be somewhere close to Becket. True enough, he's still in the room, obviously deeply immersed in a conversation with Stacker's young one. Sasha nods to Lyoshenka to let him know to go ahead, she'll meet him in the mess hall, and he gives her hand a quick caress before leaving.

"What do you want, Becket?" Sasha is curious why he suddenly comes to speak to her when they never had much contact before, but she makes sure to sound a little annoyed. She has a reputation to uphold, after all.

"I heard you're the one to talk to when there's the need to... _procure_ something." He replies with a firm voice. He's obviously intimidated by her but does his best not to let it show. Sasha smirks on the inside, she's enjoying the situation way too much. 

"Maybe." She shrugs casually. Let him stew a bit, it's fun. "What are we talking about?"

"A keychain. A Gipsy Danger keychain."

Sasha can't help it, one of her eyebrows rises in surprise and makes the laceration on her forehead sting a little. "A _keychain_?"

"Yes." She's sure there's the beginning of an actual blush on Becket's cheeks, but he refuses to avert his gaze. "But not those flat ones with a picture printed on some plastic chip. Back in the day they made collector's keychains, basically a very small scale model with an astonishing amount of detail. That's what I'm looking for. The version after Mako's revamping, if possible."

"Why on earth do you want a Gipsy keychain?" Sasha can't help asking because this must be the weirdest request she's ever been approached with. She was expecting something illegal, or dangerous, or extremely valuable. Not a freaking _keychain_. 

"It's a gift." Becket resolutely doesn't look anywhere else as if to hide who the gift is for. There are only two options, though: Either Baby Hansen or Stacker's young one. Nobody else apart from Becket himself has a close connection to Gipsy Danger.

"And why the revamped version? I'm quite sure that's hard to find considering that there wasn't exactly much Jaeger merchandising going on that past year." Sasha keeps digging - just because she's curious. And maybe to push the price a bit.

Becket bites his lip, then his gaze flickers over to Baby Hansen who's still talking to Stacker's young one. "He never piloted the original version with me."

For a split second Sasha wants to coo over how cute that is, but she has a reputation to protect, so she makes sure that nothing of it shows on her face. She would never admit it, but she can't help finding Becket and Baby Hansen adorable. They're opposites and still the connection between them is undeniable. They're also quite volatile together, which in her opinion only adds to the fun. They kind of remind her of how Lyoshenka and her started out. Minus the drifting and the PPDC and the Kaiju, mind you, because all those things didn't exist yet when they first met.

"I will see what I can do." Sasha tells Becket after pretending to consider his request. "It might cost you, though."

"No problem." He agrees immediately, a smile on his face that makes him look like an eager puppy.

They shake hands on it, then Sasha watches him cross the room to join Baby Hansen and Stacker's young one. She can't help a smirk when she sees Baby Hansen immediately - and quite obviously unconsciously - step close to Becket until their upper arms are pressed together while they're standing next to each other. Cute, really.

It takes a bit more of an effort than Sasha expected to get what Becket asked for. His collector's edition keychain is not the easiest thing to find, but Sasha has all the necessary connections. She checks with all her sources only to find out that there's no keychain with Gipsy 2.0 as a model, they're all based on the first version of the Jaeger. So Sasha makes a few calls and gets in contact with a guy who specialises in custom made merchandise for Jaegers and Kaiju and asks him to modify an old version keychain based on the pictures of Gipsy 2.0 that Sasha supplies him with. For the right price the guy agrees and tells her he'll have it delivered within two days. 

Sasha decides that Becket doesn't need to know it was a custom order. He might think her sentimental or something. 

True to his words, a parcel is handed to Sasha on the morning of the 25th. She opens the small package because she always checks the merchandise before handing it over - it's _her_ reputation on the line, after all. Inside there is a small plastic box made to look like a Jaeger bay, and inside rests a tiny but sturdy model of Gipsy Danger, complete with all the details that turn her into the new, revamped version of Mako's doing. 

It's so perfect that Sasha can't help smiling at it. Damn, that guy really knows his stuff. She decides she'll get him to make a Cherno Alpha keychain just like this one for Lyoshenka. He'll love that. He misses their baby as much as she does, and sometimes Sasha catches him thinking that they should get Cherno out of the bay to reinstate her, just like Mako did with Gipsy. Of course they both know that won't happen. They're facing a new generation of Kaiju, so it's time for a new generation of Jaegers, too. Doesn't mean they'll ever forget their Cherno, though.

Sasha catches Becket in the queue at lunchtime when she spots Baby Hansen talking to Herc a few people further down the line. Sasha casually stands next in line to Becket to get served and he looks at her with a curious and hopeful expression on his face. It's a good thing he doesn't play poker, Sasha thinks while she unobtrusively slides the box containing the keychain over to him. He sucks at hiding his emotions, his face is like an open book. If he was ever dumb enough to play poker with the Weis, they'd have him covered head to toe in their horrible mismatched stickers within five minutes.

Raleigh peeks down and opens the box, only to gawk at the model of Gipsy Danger. He holds it up to better see it in the light of the serving counter and turns it around in awe before he looks at Sasha.

"Thank you, Sasha!" He says with a genuinely grateful smile on his face and his eyes are shining like those of a child at Christmas. He's holding the keychain carefully in his hand as if it's most precious, as if it might break at any moment, although that's unlikely given that it's been designed as a damn keychain. "Thank you so much. It's... perfect! This is amazing!"

Sasha can't quite hold back the satisfied - and maybe a tad smug - smirk. "You're welcome. I'll send you a message with the price later. Don't worry, it's not _that_ expensive."

"Whatever it costs, it's worth every dollar." Becket is still smiling when he carefully puts the keychain back in its box which then disappears in the leg pocket of his cargo pants. There's a rather impatient request behind them to _please_ get moving along the line and Raleigh quickly apologises to the disgruntled J-Tech before he pushes his tray along the counter. Sasha frowns when she notices how Becket arranges all the heavy things like plates and mugs on the right side of his tray and it takes her a moment to realise that it's because of his injured left shoulder. It's been over ten days now, though, his shoulder shouldn't give him that much trouble any more. Especially considering that the food tray isn't exactly heavy.

"Your shoulder still acting up?" Sasha asks and jerks her chin towards the very unorthodox arrangement on Becket's tray. He follows her gaze and then chuckles.

"It was getting better, but I had my first training session in the kwoon this morning and now it's hurting again." He explains. "On top of that, they've begun to ease me off the strong meds yesterday. It will take a while, but man, am I glad to finally get off those drugs."

Sasha just raises an eyebrow. It's a demand for clarification that Becket understands immediately.

"They may ease the pain, but they also screw with my senses and my memory." He shrugs - one-armed - and his mouth turns down. "At least I hope it's the meds and not some neural damage from my second stint of solo driving, because then we're talking about an entirely different set of problems."

"You fear it might impact on your ability to fight." Sasha points out while she picks the last bowl of mango slices that she knows Lyoshenka loves. She's never been one to sugar-coat things, and Becket doesn't seem to be offended by her directness.

"Considering how it affects my reflexes and my sense of orientation, yes, I sure do." He admits without hesitation while he carefully lifts the tray to walk over to the table where Herc and Baby Hansen are sitting. "Chuck and I are scheduled for a test drift under Doc Lightcap's surveillance this afternoon, though. She also wants me to do one with Mako sometime later to assess if I react differently to a normally linked drift, some kind of research related to Pentecost's situation, I think. Maybe that'll clarify a few things."

"I'm sure it will." Sasha replies while taking up her own tray. "Doc Lightcap is the best in the field of drifting and neural science. She'll figure it out."

"I sure hope so." Becket gives her a quick nod followed by another one of his puppy smiles. "And thank you again, Sasha."

Sasha returns the nod, even allows a little smirk because she kind of likes Becket, and lets her gaze scan the mess to locate Lyoshenka once Becket leaves to head over to Baby Hansen's table. Lyoshenka is sitting at their usual table with a few of their crew, just like Sasha expected. She makes her way over only to be greeted by Lyoshenka's questioning gaze. He's curious what all that stuff with Becket was about, but Sasha just quickly shakes her head and tells him over their connection to be patient. She doesn't want to spoil her surprise for him, after all, and she'll only get the chance to contact the keychain guy later today.

Lyoshenka raises an eyebrow, a bit in surprise and a bit as a challenge, but Sasha just gives him a teasing smile and puts the bowl of mango slices in front of him once she's sitting next to him. He eyes it appreciatively, then he leans in to nuzzle her cheek and his dark voice murmurs in her ear, "You're the best snowflake ever."

**Author's Note:**

> I still love comments, so feel free to drop me a line ^_^ Thank you so much for still reading this fic!


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